Nancy,
 
Not to worry; most ferrets handle adrenal surgery with ease.  One of ours
had this surgery at about 2 years of age and was robustly healthy ever
after; she died last year just shy of her ninth birthday.
 
Nick will probably feel a little puny for the first 24-48 hours after he
comes home (anaesthesia always affects ours that way).  If at all possible,
confine him in a smallish space with his food, water, and litter box within
easy reach of his bedding.  Be sure that he has plenty of soft bedding to
snuggle in; he will be sore, and may want to stay warmer than usual.
 
A litter box with a very low or cut-out front is helpful, since he won't
feel like climbing for a while.  If his regular litter box has high sides,
buy a small dishpan and cut away most of one end; leave just enough to keep
a shallow layer of litter in the box.  If you don't have a small cage, a
cardboard box with high sides will work.  He will probably sleep most of the
time for a few days, then wake up on the third or fourth day and decide that
nothing ever happened.
 
All of our ferrets who have had surgery have slept non-stop when we brought
them home from the vet.  They usually start drinking water the same day, but
several have not been interested in eating until the third day (some chow
down as soon as they get home).  We don't worry too much about food -- when
they start feeling spunky, they eat -- but it's important not to let them
get dehydrated.  If Nick isn't drinking on his own within a few hours after
coming home, offer him Pedialyte, diluted chicken stock, or water with a few
drops of Linatone in it; ours always find anything offered from a medicine
dropper completely irresistable (you can buy a plastic dropper in the infant
section of the drugstore).  All of ours have been remarkably perky by the
fourth day after surgery, and then the only problem is keeping them from
overdoing it (in typical ferret fashion) until the stitches come out.
 
Best of luck to you and Nick.  Please let us know how it goes.
 
ellen
[Posted in FML issue 2180]